From these scriptures and
all the information below, I draw the tenuous conclusion that the sacrificial
system only postponed God’s judgment of
the sins of Israel every year—until the law was completed in the heavenly
sanctuary by God Himself: Dying in our
place.
Rom 10:4
4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be
righteousness for everyone who believes.
(NIV)
Christ fulfills the law (Matt
Hebrews 9
Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle
1Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an
earthly sanctuary. 2A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were
the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread;
this was called the
6When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered
regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7But only
the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never
without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had
committed in ignorance. 8The Holy Spirit was showing by this that
the way into the
The Blood of Christ
11When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are
already here,[2]
he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made,
that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by
means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once
for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13The
blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are
ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How
much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead
to death,[3]
so that we may serve the living God!
15For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those
who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has
died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first
covenant.
16In the case of a will,[4]
it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17because
a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the
one who made it is living. 18This is why even the first covenant was
not put into effect without blood. 19When Moses had proclaimed every
commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together
with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and
all the people. 20He said, "This is the blood of the covenant,
which God has commanded you to keep."[5]
21In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle
and everything used in its ceremonies. 22In fact, the law requires
that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
23It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to
be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary
that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear
for us in God's presence. 25Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself
again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year
with blood that is not his own. 26Then Christ would have had to
suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once
for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27Just as man is destined to die once,
and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to
take away the sins of many people;
Lev
12 He is to bring it
to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and burn it
on the altar on top of the offerings made to the LORD by fire. It is a sin
offering.
13 In this way the
priest will make atonement for him for any of these sins he has committed, and
he will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, as in
the case of the grain offering.'"
14 The LORD said to
Moses:
15 "When a
person commits a violation and sins unintentionally in regard to any of the LORD's holy things, he is to bring to the LORD as a penalty
a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver,
according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering.
16 He must make
restitution for what he has failed to do in regard to the holy things, add a
fifth of the value to that and give it all to the priest, who will make
atonement for him with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.
17 "If a person
sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's
commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held
responsible.
18 He is to bring to
the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of
the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the
wrong he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven.
19 It is a guilt
offering; he has been guilty of wrongdoing against the LORD."
(NIV)
forgiven-
5545 calach (saw-lakh');
a primitive root; to forgive:
KJV-- forgive, pardon, spare.
Lev 6:1-7
1 The LORD said to
Moses:
2 "If anyone
sins and is unfaithful to the LORD by deceiving his neighbor about something
entrusted to him or left in his care or stolen, or if he cheats him,
3 or if he finds
lost property and lies about it, or if he swears falsely, or if he commits any
such sin that people may do--
4 when he thus sins
and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or
what was entrusted to him, or the lost property he found,
5 or whatever it was
he swore falsely about. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the
value to it and give it all to the owner on the day he presents his guilt
offering.
6 And as a penalty
he must bring to the priest, that is, to the LORD, his guilt offering, a ram
from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value.
7 In this way the
priest will make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for
any of these things he did that made him guilty."
(NIV)
Lev
29 "This is to
be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must
deny yourselves and not do any work-- whether native-born or an alien living
among you--
30 because
on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before
the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins.
31 It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny
yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.
32 The priest who is
anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make
atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments
33 and make atonement
for the
34 "This is to
be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement
is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites." And it
was done, as the LORD commanded Moses.
(NIV)
atonement-
3722 kaphar (kaw-far');
a primitive
root; to cover (specifically with bitumen); figuratively, to expiate or
condone, to placate or cancel:
KJV-- appease, make (an atonement,
cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon, purge (away), put off,
(make) reconcile (-liation).
Cleanse-
2891 taher (taw-hare');
a primitive
root; properly, to be bright; i.e. (by implication) to be pure (physical sound,
clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated;
morally, innocent or holy):
KJV-- be (make, makeself,
pronounce) clean, cleanse (self), purge, purify (-ierself,).
2891 taher (taw-hare');
a primitive
root; properly, to be bright; i.e. (by implication) to be pure (physical sound,
clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated;
morally, innocent or holy):
KJV-- be (make, makeself,
pronounce) clean, cleanse (self), purge, purify (-ierself,).
All-
3605 kol (kole);
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl (kole); from 3634; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or
every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):
KJV-- (in) all (manner, [ye]), altogether,
any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, [no-]
thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso (-ever).
3605 kol (kole);
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl (kole); from 3634; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or
every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):
KJV-- (in) all (manner, [ye]),
altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many
as, [no-] thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso (-ever).
Sins-
2403 chatta'ah (khat-taw-aw');
or chatta'th (khat-tawth'); from
2398; an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion,
sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an offender:
KJV-- punishment (of sin), purifying (-fication for sin), sin (-ner,
offering).
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary describes what this Hebrew word “Atonement” means in light of New Testament writings:
ATONEMENT
The act by which God restores a relationship of harmony and unity
between Himself and human beings. The word can be broken into three
parts which express this great truth in simple but profound terms:
"at-one-ment." Through God's atoning grace
and forgiveness, we are reinstated to a relationship of at-one-ment with God, in spite of our sin.
Human Need. Because of Adam's sin <Rom.
God's
Gift: Atonement. God's gracious response to the helplessness of His chosen
people, the nation of
The
Law required that the sacrificial victims must be free from defect, and buying
them always involved some cost to the sinner. But an animal's death did not
automatically make people right with God in some simple, mechanical way. The
hostility between God and man because of sin is a personal matter. God for His
part personally gave the means of atonement in the sacrificial system; men and
women for their part personally are expected to recognize the seriousness of
their sin <Lev.
In
the Old Testament, God Himself brought about atonement by graciously providing
the appointed sacrifices. The priests represented Him in the atonement ritual,
and the sinner received the benefits of being reconciled to God in forgiveness
and harmony.
Although Old Testament believers were truly
forgiven and received genuine atonement through animal sacrifice, the New
Testament clearly states that during the Old Testament period God's justice was
not served: "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats
could take away sins" <Heb. 10:4>. Atonement was possible
"because in His forbearance God
had passed over the sins that were previously committed" <Rom.
Our Response. The Lord Jesus came according to God's will
<Acts
No
believer who truly understands the awesome holiness of God's wrath and the
terrible hopelessness that comes from personal sin can fail to be overwhelmed
by the deep love of Jesus for each of us, and the wonder of God's gracious gift
of eternal atonement through Christ. Through Jesus, God will present us
"faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy"
<Jude 24>.
(from Nelson's
Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson
Publishers)
"because in His
forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously
committed" <Rom.
From this scripture and all
the information above, I draw the tenuous conclusion that the sacrificial
system only postponed God’s judgment of the sins of